The Magic of Friendship
by AirHawk19
Summary: Samus reunites with an old friend and forms a partnership with her. What happens when the pair crash land in Equestria? Can the Princess of Friendship and her friends teach the Bane of the Metroids the true power and magic of friendship? Will Samus open her heart and truly allow herself to heal?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Metroid**_ **or** _ **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**_ **or any characters or materials taken from the games, cartoon, etc. No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Author's Note: Inspired by** _ **A Hunter in Equestria**_ **by Cusi. Also, I won't be following all of the canon for** _ **Metroid**_ **, so** _ **Fusion**_ **and** _ **Other M**_ **never happened. Everything else will stay relatively the same for Samus' backstory and this takes place sometime around season six of** _ **Friendship is Magic**_ **and I'm not using any of the** _ **Equestria Girls**_ **canon. Finally, Recsigh, the name of my** _ **Metroid**_ **OC, is pronounced like the words wreck and sigh put together, for those of you who hate it when you can't figure out how to pronounce an OC's name.**

Chapter 1: Old Friends and Crash Landings.

 _Samus Aran flew her gunship to the landing pad and gracefully landed the space craft. She exited the_ Hunter III _and made her way to the large building in front of her. Making her way through the lobby of the rather grand hotel, she took the elevator to the fifth floor and walked to room 503. Knocking on the door, Samus waited to be admitted. Soon the door opened and Samus came face to face with someone she hadn't seen for nearly eighteen years. The Kazoden woman grinned, revealing her pronounced canine fangs, and her ruby-red cat's eyes sparkled with pleasure._

 _"Come in, Samus. I'm glad you could make it," she said, stepping aside to admit her._

 _Samus stepped inside the room and looked around. It was a nice place, high quality furnishings, some decent paintings on the walls, and a mini-bar fully stocked. Samus turned her attention back to the woman before her, who had deposited herself on one of the couches and patted the seat beside herself. Samus walked over and sat down, a look that was mostly neutral on her face. Only a slight twitch of her eyebrows had told her companion that she was surprised to see her._

 _"Recsigh Ludren. It's been too long," she said, the faintest of smiles gracing her face._

 _This slightly surprised Recsigh, but she beamed a wide smile anyway. "I know, but I'm here now. Also, I too am a licensed bounty hunter. Have been for several years now. Anyway, I wanted to propose a partnership," she said, her face becoming serious._

 _"I work alone," Samus replied coldly._

 _Recsigh saw through Samus' cold front in a heartbeat. "Even the strongest person needs help now and again. Don't shut me out, Samus. Not now. Please?"_

 _Something in Recsigh's face and voice just called to Samus and she found herself answering, much to her surprise, "Alright. But just on a trail basis. You slow me down and I'm out."_

 _"Deal!" Recsigh agreed, holding out her midnight-black hand, with the strange red markings on the back that matched her eyes and the other markings all over her body._

* * *

That had been nearly five years ago. Samus had never thought a partnership would be good for business or her personal life, but she found that Recsigh was the perfect partner and the best friend, though she would never admit it. The first mission they had together, Recsigh showed Samus just what a Kazoden in full Battle Armor can do. It was impressive and Samus didn't use that term lightly. After that, Recsigh and her had rekindled their childhood bond and it had grown and blossomed even more, deepening into a sister-like love for each other. In fact, Recsigh had taken to calling Samus her 'heart-sister,' a Kazoden term that meant, 'a very close friend one considers to be family.'

Now, Samus and Recsigh were traveling in their ship, the _Hunter IV_ , a new, larger gunship that Recsigh had built to house the both of them comfortably. She had taken all the design features Samus liked about her old ship and incorporated them into the new, including her comfy pilot's chair, the remote flight feature, the auto-repair feature, and the ammo factory among other things. She had also added a cramped but functional bathroom, including a shower, two cabins, a larger med-bay, twin plasma cannons, and a unique Kazoden hyper-drive system that didn't require afloraltite to function, as well as tectonium armor plating to the entire outer hull, making it nearly indestructible. Nearly. As they cruised along, headed for a waypoint in their nomadic wanderings, their ship suddenly lurched as though it had been struck and the warning alarms started blaring.

 _"Warning! Direct hit! Plasma damage to engines! Flight controls compromised!"_ the computer's display flashed.

Samus groaned as she tried to budge the steering, but it was no use; she couldn't maneuver the ship or even abort the hyper-flight sequence. All she and Recsigh could do was sit tight and hope for the best. After several hours of out-of-control hyper-flight, something else crashed into the ship's engines, knocking them out of hyper-flight and completely out of commission, but the ship was still out of control. Looking out the windshield, Samus and Recsigh both saw they were on a collision course with a planet just up ahead. Fortunately, the angle of entry would prevent too much damage and the tectonium plating would absorb most of the brunt of the impact, so all that was left for them to do was head to the back of the ship, hunker down, and hope for the best.

* * *

It was peaceful day in Equestria. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everypony was going about their daily lives. Applejack was apple bucking in the orchard, when suddenly she looked up and saw a great ball of fire, like a meteor, crashing down to earth. A resounding boom and white mushroom cloud of smoke indicated impact, some two or three miles outside of Ponyville. After a moment of observation, since no forest fire broke out or monster appeared, Applejack returned to her apple bucking. She would investigate the crash-site after her chores were done.

Meanwhile, at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle saw the meteor crash and decided to investigate, being curious to study a meteor up close. Spike accompanied her and the pair made their way to the crash-site. When they got there, they found the strangest thing. A great metal ship of some type Twilight was unable to identify, other than it wasn't from Equestria or any other earthly kingdom she could think of. This made Twilight both a little nervous and excited, but mostly excited. If the strange craft was inhabited, it could contain creatures from beyond the stars! What a discovery that would be! Twilight quickly began poking around the strange ship, trying to find an entry/exit point. Spike watched nervously.

"Um, Twilight? Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, ringing his claws.

"I'm sure it's perfectly safe, Spike. I doubt any alien creatures would be hostile," Twilight said, though she wasn't as confident in her own words as she sounded.

"But, what if they're flesh-eating monsters? Or they're here to take over and eat our brains?!" Spike asked again.

Now Twilight laughed. "Oh, Spike. You really need to stop reading all those scary comic books before bedtime."

Just then, a hatch appeared on the bottom of the ship and two bipedal, monstrous metal creatures, one red and orange with green markings, the other black with red accents, rode down on the elevator. They at once tensed up and the mostly orange one raised its right arm, which had a strange green tube on the lower half that glowed menacingly. The black one grabbed a strange cylinder off of its body and activated a red energy blade. Neither of the two parties moved, until the orange monster spotted Spike…

* * *

After the crash, Samus and Recsigh got up from the floor they had been flung unceremoniously to by the forces of gravity and physics. Fortunately, they were unhurt thanks to their respective armor suits. Samus at once got a damage report from her ship's computer. Thanks to the tectonium plating, the hull of the ship was completely undamaged. However, the engines were toast, thanks to a plasma shot. Samus silently cursed the lucky bugger who did this and moved to the hatch to assess the damage personally. Recsigh accompanied her, if only to keep her out of trouble with the locals.

As soon as the pair exited the ship, they found a strange, brightly colored pony with wings like a pegasus and a horn like a unicorn, staring at them with an expression of surprise and fear. Both hunters, unsure if this thing would attack or not, got ready for a fight. Just then, they both noticed the purple pony's companion; a little purple and green dragon.

Recsigh only had milliseconds to act as Samus charged her Arm Cannon and lunged forward with a feral cry of "Ridley!"

Samus was shocked to find herself slammed out of the way, causing her shot to go wide, and pinned down by none other than her friend and shipmate. She struggled and bucked, trying to break loose and attack the little dragon. Recsigh wasn't budging and Samus snarled in frustration.

After a few moments, Recsigh spoke. "Samus! Snap out of it! That is _not_ Ridley!"

"Of course it is! That monster just refuses to die!" Samus screamed, thrashing harder.

Recsigh tightened her grip on Samus' Arm Cannon and forcefully turned her head to the side, making her look at the baby dragon. "Look! Does that really look like Ridley to you?"

Now that she was forced to take a good look, Samus had to admit that while the little purple dragon did bear a very slightly passing resemblance, it wasn't Ridley. Ridley didn't have eyes like that; big green eyes that stared at her, wide with fear. Samus suddenly went limp and still. She felt sick and as soon as Recsigh got off, she rolled over and dry heaved a few times. Samus felt terrible. She had just snapped and was about to attack a helpless baby for no reason. If Recsigh hadn't been there… Samus shook the thought from her head. It was useless to think such thoughts. Recsigh had been there and she had acted in time. Standing up, Recsigh and Samus turned to the pony and dragon once more. They were about to turn towards the ship's engines, when they both got the shock of their lives.

"Please, don't hurt us. We mean you no harm." The words had come from the purple pony's mouth.

Samus and Recsigh both blinked in surprise and took a step or two back, their mouths hanging open, though their helmets hid the fact. This was weird even by their standards and they weren't sure how to respond. The pony gulped and took a tentative step forward.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm the Princess of Friendship," the pony now known as Twilight Sparkle said.

Samus and Recsigh couldn't help snickering at the ridiculous sounding name. However, manners kept them from out right laughing. Recsigh, being the more 'go with the flow' of the two replied. "My name is Recsigh Ludren and this is my friend and business partner Samus Aran."

Samus inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"Um, can he talk?" the little dragon asked.

"Spike! You have to excuse my assistant, Spike. He's still a baby and sometimes forgets his manners," Twilight said.

Samus chuckled. "It's ok. I can talk and I'm a woman by the way. However, I don't chose to speak very often. I only say what I need to."

Recsigh sighed. "It's true. Samus isn't one for idle chit-chat. She is direct and to the point, sometimes brutally."

"Sounds like our friend Applejack. She's always straight to the point and brutally honest," Twilight said. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, what are you and where do you come from?"

Recsigh and Samus exchanged glances. Recsigh nodded and Samus shrugged. They both deactivated their armor, causing Twilight and Spike to jump back with startled exclamations.

"What did you just do?" Twilight asked, her tone somewhere between freaked out and curious.

Recsigh and Samus both grinned. "We just deactivated our armor. My suit is called the Battle Armor and Samus' is called the Power Suit. Anyway, in answer to your first questions, I am a Kazoden…" Recsigh started.

"And I am a human," Samus finished.

"My people are space nomads, so we travel through space from place to place, never really settling anywhere," Recsigh said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Twilight was about to inquire, when Samus said in a voice devoid of emotion, "And I am from the Galactic Federation mining colony on the planet K-2L."

"Interesting. So, how did you get here exactly?" Twilight asked.

"And why are you here?" Spike asked rather fearfully.

Recsigh smiled encouragingly at the little dragon. "We kinda crashed here. You see, we were on our way to a planet in the Zecar System, when someone shot our engines just as we entered hyper-flight, which is faster than light travel. Anyway, we couldn't control our ship and were flung far out of any explored sector of the galaxy, when a meteor hit our engines, knocking them out completely. The good news was that we exited hyper flight. The bad news, we were going to crash on the planet in front of us. This one. Until we can assess the damage done to the engines and repair them, we're stuck here."

Samus humphed at that, clearly unhappy to be stuck on a planet light years upon light years away from any sector she knew. At any rate, the conversation was interrupted by the arrival of an orange coated pony with a blonde mane and tail, wearing a Stetson hat. As soon as the pony was within ear shot, she called out. "Howdy, Twilight! What's that in the crater with ya?"

Twilight turned and smiled when she saw the other mare approaching. "Hi, Applejack! I've just met Samus Aran and Recsigh Ludren, two aliens who crash landed here."

"Aliens? Well, hoo-doggie! Ain't you a funny looking pair. What are ya exactly?" Applejack asked, looking at the two hunters curiously.

Recsigh introduced herself and Samus to Applejack and basically re-explained everything she had told Twilight and Spike. Samus, while confident that Recsigh knew what she was doing, was beginning to feel decidedly uncomfortable without her Suit in an unknown environment. The fact that this place had the same gravity and atmosphere as Earth, the birthplace of humanity, was the only reason she even agreed to Recsigh's silent suggestion in the first place. Earth had a slightly richer oxygen concentration in its atmosphere than K-2L, so Samus felt confident she could tackle most anything these sapient equines could throw at her, but still, she would prefer to be in her Suit in battle.

Recsigh noticed Samus' tension and decided to ask the ponies some questions in return. "So, you wouldn't happen to know what planet we are on, would you? What this place is called?"

Twilight and Applejack shared looks of slight confusion before answering. "Well, the kingdom we're in is called Equestria and we're just outside of Ponyville. As for what the planet is called, I'm not sure. You'd probably have to ask the Ruling Princesses that," Twilight said.

Recsigh blinked. "But, I thought you said you were a princess."

Twilight blushed slightly. "I am. I'm the Princess of Friendship and as such, me and my friends, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, are the guardians of the magic of friendship. As such, we travel Equestria solving friendship problems and teaching ponies the true meaning and magic of friendship."

Just then Samus burst out laughing. The ponies, dragon, and even Recsigh blinked in surprise at this sudden and uncharacteristic outburst on Samus' part. Samus continued to laugh until the tears rolled down her cheeks, but after a few minutes, she calmed herself and regained her composure. "I don't think I've ever heard anything more ridiculous. Friendship is magical? Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, kids. If your title is the Princess of Friendship and you're supposed to go all over the country with your little band of friends, then you're just a glorified therapist."

Twilight, Applejack, and Spike all stood in slack-jawed shock! How could this creature think friendship was nothing? Recsigh also looked surprised and a little hurt, but unlike the ponies and dragon, she knew why Samus felt the way she did.

A moment later, Spike found his voice. "How can you say such awful things?! Twilight is a real Princess and our friends really are the Council of Friendship and friendship really is magical!"

Samus just smirked. "Friends come and friends go. It is pointless to expect a 'magical' bond that will last forever. Nothing lasts forever."

Now it was Recsigh's turn to be indignant. "So what? Our friendship, first forged when we were very young children, tested by the long years of separation, and finally rekindled in reunion, is nothing to you?"

Samus recoiled slightly. She had forgotten about Recsigh being right there, had forgotten all about the strong bond they shared, until she heard the hurt rebuke in Recsigh's voice. Turning to her friend, Samus' eyes showed sorrow and regret for causing her friend, whom she loved like a sister such pain.

"I'm sorry, Recsigh. I didn't mean it like that. Our friendship is different. It's… special," Samus said.

Recsigh smiled slightly. "I'm glad to hear you don't consider my friendship worthless," she said, though in her heart, Recsigh knew that Samus still had much to learn about the true nature and power of friendship. Maybe this world and these ponies could teach her a thing or two. If only she'd listen.

Just then, both Samus and Recsigh's stomachs growled loudly. They both colored slightly in embarrassment.

"Um, is there any chance we could get some food? It's been a while since we last ate," Recsigh inquired, looking at Twilight and Applejack.

Applejack smiled. "As is happens, it's 'bout suppertime at Sweet Apple Acres, mah family's farm. Why don't y'all come 'long an' git some grub?"

Samus and Recsigh nodded in acceptance and followed Applejack, Twilight, and Spike as they led the way.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Strangers in a Strange Land.

It was a bit of a hike to Sweet Apple Acres; a huge farm, where the main crop was apples. There were trees and trees of every kind of apple imaginable and even some neither Samus nor Recsigh had ever dreamed of. The farmhouse was old fashioned and quaint, fitting perfectly with the farm's architecture.

As the group approached the house, an elderly pony with an apple-green coat came out onto the porch and rang an old fashioned iron triangle, then called out, "Soup's on, everypony!" before heading back inside.

Applejack turned to Samus and Recsigh. "That's Granny Smith. She's the best apple pie baker and zap apple jam maker in all of Ponyville if not all Equestria," she said, the familial pride evident in her voice and posture.

They entered the farmhouse kitchen to find the long wooden table loaded with food. Anything and everything that could be made with or from apples was there and the smell was mouthwatering. Samus and Recsigh both started drooling and their stomachs rumbled hungrily. Applejack gently pushed them towards the table.

"Come on. Don't be shy. There's plenty to go 'round," she said, sitting between Granny Smith and a big red stallion with a yoke around his neck, who looked at them with mild, almost sleepy eyes. A young filly with a yellow coat, red mane and tail, and a big pink bow in her hair sat on the stallion's other side, looking at the two strange creatures with wide-eyed wonder.

Applejack turned to the stallion and filly and introduced them. "Samus, Recsigh, this is mah big brother Big McIntosh, we all call 'im Big Mac, and that's mah little sister Apple Bloom. I already told you 'bout Granny Smith. Everypony, this is Recsigh Ludren and Samus Aran."

The Apples all greeted their guests and everyone soon dug in. Recsigh and Samus ate ravenously. It had been quite a while since their last meal and they were both famished. Plus, the Apple family's cooking was delicious! Afterwards, they both sat back with contented sighs, feeling considerably better.

"Thank you. I can't remember that last time I ate so well," Samus said, slightly surprising Recsigh, who was usually the first to speak.

"Yes. Everything was delicious. I honestly had no idea you could make so many tasty things from apples," Recsigh added.

"Aw, don't mention it. It was our pleasure," Applejack said.

"Applejack's right. It does my heart good to see folks enjoy my cooking," Granny Smith said, a pleased smile on her face.

"So, what are you, exactly?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'll tell ya later, Apple Bloom. Right now, I think our guests would like to git some shut-eye," Applejack said, noticing the tired, but contented looks on Samus and Recsigh's faces.

Recsigh yawned, revealing her fangs to good effect, and stretched. "Yes. We could both use some rest. Come on, Samus. Let's head back to the ship. We can assess the damage in the morning."

Samus nodded, feeling too delightfully drowsy to respond verbally. The Apple family, Twilight, and Spike all bid them goodbye and goodnight, promising to call on them in the morning with the rest of their friends. Recsigh and Samus let for their ship and bed.

* * *

As soon as the aliens were gone, conversation about them began. Apple Bloom at once turned to Applejack for the promised explanation.

"Well, Samus is somethin' called a human and Recsigh is somethin' called a Kazoden. They're from someplace far away, beyond the stars and they crashed here in a spaceship," Applejack explained.

"Will wonders never cease. Travelin' beyond the stars! What would they wanna do that fer?" Granny Smith asked.

Applejack shrugged. "I dunno, Granny. Maybe there's interestin' places to see out there."

"Oh, I'm sure there is! I would love to travel to other worlds! What fascinating new discoveries are out there?" Twilight said with starry eyes.

"Not me. I'm perfectly happy here in Ponyville, thanks," Spike said.

Twilight smiled at him. "Good. Because I'd get awful lonely without you around the castle, Spike."

Spike got bashful, which caused the ponies to chuckle.

"Any who, I think we all better git some sleep. Tomarrah's gonna be a busy day," Applejack said.

"Yes. I'd better get back to the castle. Starlight Glimmer is probably wondering what's keeping me and I'm sure the Princesses will want to hear about the aliens," Twilight said, standing to leave.

"I'm sure they will. Goodbye, Twilight, Spike. See y'all in the mornin'," Applejack said, walking her friends out and watching them disappear into the night.

* * *

Later that night in Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna woke her sister with news of a letter from Twilight. Princess Celestia at once rose and took it, fearing something may be amiss. When she had read the letter, Luna saw her visibly relax, but not quite all of the tension left her body.

"What is it, sister? Has a new threat emerged in Equestria?" the Princess of the Night asked.

Celetsia answered by levitating the letter back to Luna, who took it and read. She looked up at her sister again a moment later. Celestia sighed. "I do not know if these creatures, these 'aliens,' pose a threat to Equestria or not. They will have to be observed and studied to be certain of their intentions. However, from Twilight's account of the first contact, it seems they are not particularly aggressive as long as they are not provoked," the Princess of the Sun answered.

"But what of the human's attempted attack upon Spike?" Luna asked.

"It seems the Kazoden with her stopped her and Twilight seems to think it was a case of mistaken identity. Whoever or whatever this 'Ridley' is, he must have deeply wronged the human Samus to cause her to act so."

Luna nodded in agreement with her sister's judgement. "So, we wait?"

Celestia nodded. "We wait."

* * *

The next morning, the Mane Six met up at the Castle of Friendship. Starlight Glimmer was there as well, having been brought up to speed by Twilight the night before, and was most eager to meet these strange creatures from beyond the stars. Twilight called the meeting to order.

"Ok, so Applejack, Spike, and myself have already met the aliens and I'm fairly certain they aren't hostile."

"But, I thought you said one of them tried to attack Spike?" Rarity said. "That sounds pretty hostile to me."

"Yeah, but the other one jumped on her and wouldn't let her hurt me. Plus, she screamed some weird name. Ridley, I think," Spike added.

"Yes. It seems that Samus mistook Spike for an enemy from her past; one that gave her a lot of trouble no doubt. I don't think that will happen again, as she seems fine with Spike now," Twilight said.

"I have ta agree with Twilight. I don't think Samus and Recsigh wanna hurt us. I think they just wanna fix their ship and go home," Applejack said.

"Well, if you're sure they're not dangerous," Fluttershy said softly, hiding behind her mane.

"If they are dangerous, I'll kick their flanks," Rainbow Dash said, punching at an invisible enemy.

"Oo! Oo! Oo! Do you think they like parties? I could throw them a 'Welcome To Ponyville Party!' It'll be so great! Do you think aliens like cake?" Pinkie Pie asked, but then a moment later phshawed. "Of course they like cake. Everypony likes cake!" she exclaimed.

"It's settled then. We set out for the aliens' ship immediately," Twilight said.

"What about me?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

Twilight smiled at her budding student. "You're coming with us of course. I wouldn't want you to miss this opportunity to make some interstellar friends."

With that, the whole party set out en mass to the crash-site.

* * *

As the predawn light peeked into the cockpit of the _Hunter IV_ , Samus stirred and woke. It had been a very restful sleep in her comfy chair and she stretched luxuriously. Recsigh emerged from her cabin a moment later looking well rested and refreshed and ready to take on the day. Samus smirked and stood up, heading for the bathroom to freshen up a little before getting to work on the engines.

When she came out, she found Recsigh already in her Battle Armor, working on pulling the reactor core out of the hyper-drive. When it came out, what she saw made her heart sink. The core was burned black, completely fried. Recsigh sighed and held the reactor core out to Samus.

"Burnt toast. Hyper-drive is down until I can scavenge enough materials to build a new core. Hopefully this planet has the materials I need. The good news is, the engines themselves are not as bad as I thought. Auto-repair should have them fixed in two or three days, then we'll be able to fly anywhere we want on the planet or in orbit," she said.

Samus grunted. "Humph. Oh, well. No use crying over burnt reactor cores. I'll fire up the auto-repair sequence," she said, heading back inside.

Once the ship was starting to repair itself, Samus came back outside and found Recsigh going through her usual morning martial arts routine in her Morph Suit, which was a solid black bodysuit similar to Samus' Zero Suit, which she was currently wearing. The main difference between the two was that the Morph Suit, like its name implied, could morph into different shapes and forms at a thought command from Recsigh. However, Recsigh for the most part preferred to keep her Morph Suit in its default bodysuit form, only occasionally changing it to more casual civvies.

Samus walked over to her friend and suddenly swung her right fist at her. Recsigh ducked under the attack and rolled to the side in an overly exaggerated escape. Samus swung her right leg up into an axe kick and brought it down on the spot Recsigh occupied. Two seconds ago. Recsigh bounced up onto her feet and delivered a punch to Samus' left shoulder from behind. Samus spun out of the way and, using her momentum, swung her own fist towards Recsigh. Recsigh easily caught her fist and twisted it. Samus jabbed two fingers on her freehand into a pressure point on Recsigh's neck, making her let go.

The two hunters backed away from each other and began to circle, each evaluating the other, trying to read their next move. Suddenly, both let out a war cry and charged. Fists reared back, then flew towards their targets, only to be stopped by the opponent's open hand. Samus and Recsigh locked up, each trying to overpower the other, but only for a few moments. Suddenly both fighters spun away from each other and engaged in a high energy, high speed martial arts sparring match, limbs flying in graceful movements almost faster than the eye could track, bodies leaping, arcing, ducking, and rolling in a sort of dance. The dance of combat. Recsigh leapt high into the air, followed by Samus. Time seemed to slow down and the two hung there for a few moments, Recsigh's leg swinging up towards Samus' head, Samus' body twisting into a position almost parallel with the ground, her legs spinning towards Recsigh's head and shoulders, and suddenly the pair broke off their attacks and landed gracefully with perfect balance facing away from each other.

Looking up, Samus and Recsigh were surprised to find they had an audience. Twilight, Spike, and Applejack were standing at the edge of the crater with a group of wide-eyed ponies the hunters didn't recognize. After a few moments of staring, one of the new ponies, a cyan pegasus, cried out, "That was awesome! You've got to teach me how to do that!"

Then, like a dam bursting asunder, the voices of the other ponies came loud and fast in a babble that seemed to be praise of some sort. In a moment Recsigh held up her hand for silence. Oddly enough, the ponies all shut up, their eyes locked on Recsigh. Smiling and lowering her hand, Recsigh greeted the ponies.

"Hello. As I'm sure Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Spike have told you, I am Recsigh and this is Samus. What might your names be?"

Twilight snapped out of her wide-eyed expression and cleared her throat. "Allow me to introduce my friends, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer. Everypony, meet Samus and Recsigh."

Most of the ponies said 'hi' or waved, but the yellow pegasus with the light-pink mane and tail, Fluttershy as Samus and Recsigh recalled, kinda hid behind everyone else. Rainbow Dash, the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane and tail who had said their sparring match was awesome, came a few steps closer and cocked her head to one side, like she was trying to figure them out.

Finally she spoke. "Why were you two fighting anyway? I thought you were friends."

Recsigh and Samus both burst out laughing. This took all the ponies by surprise, except Pinkie Pie, a bright pink mare with a darker pink and profusely curly mane and tail. She started laughing as well, rolling onto her back and around on the ground. Samus and Recsigh both doubled over laughing, Recsigh slapping her knee. After a few moments though, they managed to regain their composure.

"We weren't fighting. We were sparring," Recsigh explained.

"Ooooh. I get it. You were just practicing for when you need to kick flank!" Rainbow Dash did a midair kick for emphasis. She grinned when she came back down to the ground. "I totally get that."

Samus raised an eyebrow at the pegasus' antics. Rainbow Dash was cocky and reckless, that was for sure. She'd make it a point to avoid her if possible. Recsigh also picked up on Rainbow's attitude. However, she made a mental note to keep an eye on her, just in case. Once Recsigh and Samus had stopped laughing, Pinkie Pie had bounced up from the ground and over to them. She stopped only a few inches away.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's resident party pony! You need a party, I'm your pony!" she said, whipping out a cannon from out of nowhere and pulling the fuse before either hunter could react.

However, instead of a big boom and a cannon ball, the only thing that shot out of the cannon was a bunch of confetti and streamers, which confused Samus and Recsigh to no end.

"Do ya like my party cannon? I built it myself!" Pinkie Pie said, oblivious to the shocked expressions on Samus and Recsigh's faces.

Before either of them fully recovered, the white unicorn in the group, with the dark purple mane and tail, walked up to them, looking them over with a critical eye. "I must say, you are a pair of the strangest looking creatures I've ever seen. I'd love to make you some outfits. It would certainly be a challenge," Rarity said, smiling a pleasant smile.

Recsigh at once got an uncomfortable look on her face. "Um, you're not wearing clothes. How is it you make them?"

Rarity tossed her head with a little laugh. "Don't be silly! Of course most ponies don't wear clothes all the time, but on special occasions it's nice to dress up. Why? Don't your kind ever wear clothes?"

Recsigh's jaw dropped for a second, then she said in a voice that clearly showed discomfort, "Um, we are wearing clothes now. Humans and Kazoden and most sapient species we know of wear clothes all the time in public."

The ponies all gasped in astonishment. "You mean your skin isn't black and yours isn't blue?" the unicorn Twilight had introduced as Starlight Glimmer asked incredulously.

Recsigh chuckled. "Actually, my skin is black, but it is also covered with red markings like the ones on my face. Samus on the other hand, does not have blue skin. Her skin is the same pale color as her face."

"Oh. How fascinating! I am most interested in your markings. Perhaps I could get some sketches sometime…" Twilight trailed off when she saw the unamused look on Recsigh's face. She had the decency to blush. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that would offend you."

Recsigh smiled slightly. "It's ok, Twilight. For my people, it is considered highly improper to undress before anyone other than one's mate and a few other special circumstances."

"Excuse me," said a shy soft voice, so soft that it was almost inaudible.

All the ponies gasped to see Fluttershy, the shyest pony in Equestria, cautiously making her way towards the aliens, Recsigh in particular. Recsigh smiled warmly and bent down slightly, for even though the ponies' heads were roughly on a level her and Samus', they were still a little taller than the ponies.

"Yes? What is it, Fluttershy?" Recsigh asked in an encouraging tone.

"Well, um… I was wondering… I don't mean to be rude, but… are you a predator?" she asked, looking Recsigh right in the eyes.

Recsigh's eyes were soft and gentle with a hint of regret in them. "Yes. Yes I am. My species is technically omnivorous, but we are often classified as carnivores because of the high protein requirements in our diet. Humans like Samus don't need as much meat in their diet, but they do need some to be happy and healthy and I know my girl likes her meat." Recsigh cast a playful glance at Samus, who scowled as she stood with her arms crossed.

The ponies gathered all got a little nervous upon learning the aliens needed meat in their diet. All except Fluttershy. In a bizarre turn of events, Fluttershy was now the brave one, standing unafraid before the aliens, her head held high and a smile on her face.

"Well, I think I might be able to help. When you need meat, come to my cottage and I'll take care of you," she said, looking expectantly into Recsigh's eyes.

Recsigh nodded, feeling that this yellow pegasus pony would prove to be an invaluable friend. "We'll take you up on that offer. Thank you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy's smile widened ever so slightly and she walked back to the group, but no longer cowered behind the others. Twilight was the next to speak.

"I think we should take you to meet the Ruling Princesses," she said, a look that was half-concerned, half-puzzled on her face.

"Who are these Ruling Princesses anyway?" Samus asked.

"The Princesses of the Sun and Moon. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Twilight answered.

The hunters shared a glance and nodded simultaneously before looking back at the group of ponies. "Very well. Take us to your Princesses," Samus said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Rulers of Night and Day.

The two bounty hunters followed in companionable silence as the group of ponies and baby dragon led them to the train station, where they would board a train which would take them to someplace called Canterlot. Samus and Recsigh noted the odd ponyized references to ancient human mythology and legends, as well as the odd way personal names in this world seemed to reflect a pony's coloring, personality, and/or profession.

At the train station, a few ponies freaked out upon seeing the human and Kazoden, but upon realizing that they were escorted by the Princess of Friendship and her friends, they instantly relaxed. Samus and Recsigh took note of how much trust these ponies had in the Princess. Samus wondered why, while Recsigh thought it was nice to see beings that were so trusting. It was refreshing after all the pain and strife she'd seen and experienced in her life.

* * *

It took the train nearly an hour to reach Canterlot and the hunters were very glad to stretch their legs. How did ancient people stand traveling for hours overland to get somewhere? At any rate, they followed their guides once more to the great Canterlot Castle, where the Ruling Princesses of Equestria resided. As they approached the gates, the two guard ponies, both white stallions wearing gold armor and armed with spears, bowed to Twilight.

"Welcome, Princess Twilight. If I may ask, what brings the Princess of Friendship, her Council of Friends, and her student here?" the guard on the right asked as he straightened up.

Twilight smiled benignly. "We are here to present these two aliens to the Princesses. I feel the time is right for them to meet."

"Of course, your Highness. Your usual guest chambers are ready as always if you and your friends wish to stay for an extended visit. Please, enjoy your stay," the guard on the left said, opening the gates.

Walking through the golden gates, the group made their way to the castle proper. White marble walls sweeping up into graceful towers, with plenty of sparkling windows to let in natural light formed it. Inside they walked along a wide red carpeted hall, suits of pony armor standing on either side. Soon they reached the throne room; a huge vaulted chamber with two thrones on a dais, one white and gold, the other indigo and silver. Upon these thrones sat two ponies, both 'Alicorns,' (the proper name of the Unicorn/Pegasus hybrids according to Twilight). The one upon the right was bigger and had a coat of the purest white with a voluminous pastel rainbow mane and tail that flowed as though constantly stirred by an ethereal breeze. The one upon the left was a little larger than the average pony, but still smaller than the white one, and had an equally flowing mane and tail of the same indigo hue as her body. Both wore crowns, collars, and shoes, further setting them apart from other ponies. The white Alicorn's crown, collar, and shoes were all pale-gold, while the indigo's crown and collar were black and her shoes were silver.

They nodded their heads in greeting and the ponies and dragon all bowed. Recsigh inclined her head respectfully, but Samus stood unmoving as a statue. Recsigh nudged her, but she only gave her friend an annoyed look. The Princesses stood and the others rose as they came towards the two aliens. After circling the aliens, observing them from all angles, the Princesses came to stand in front of them.

The white Alicorn spoke first. "Welcome, Samus Aran and Recsigh Ludren. Twilight told us about you in her letter. I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun and Guardian of the Day."

The indigo Alicorn stepped forward. "And I am Luna, Princess of the Moon and Guardian of the Night."

Celestia then spoke. "Luna is my younger sister and we rule Equestria together. If I may be so bold, why do you refuse to bow, Samus Aran? Not many dare such disrespect."

Samus raised an eyebrow, but the look on Celestia's face was one of amused curiosity that matched her tone. Standing a little taller, she replied. "I don't bow to anyone."

Celestia chuckled at that. "Your friend didn't bow, but she did at least show some respect."

Samus waved the insinuation off. If Celestia wanted her to take her seriously, she was gonna have to do better than that amused tone and expression. "Recsigh's always been the more diplomatic one."

Celestia's smirk widened. "I see. Well then, might I inquire as to how you two are here and why?"

Recsigh took the lead on this one. "Our ship was damaged and we were literally thrown here. It isn't by any design of ours that we are here."

"I see. And what are your intentions, now that you are here?" Celestia asked.

Recsigh saw at once where Celestia was going with this and smiled. "We have no intentions of bringing harm to you, your kingdom, your people, or your world. We only want to fix our ship, if possible, and return to our old lives."

Celestia nodded. "I trust your word, but I'm curious, what do you mean by, 'if possible'? Was your ship damaged beyond repair?"

Recsigh sighed. "When we crashed, the reactor core of the hyper-drive was overloaded and burned to a crisp. Without that part, we can't travel faster than the speed of light, which means we'd probably die of old age before we got back to our own part of the galaxy. If I can't find the materials here to fabricate a new one, we'll be stuck here permanently."

Samus' face was set like a flint, but Recsigh and even Luna noticed the slight tightening of her jaw, a sure sign of discomfort. Celestia however simply expressed her condolences and sincere wish that they found the materials they needed to return home. Recsigh nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia. Now that you know about us, might I ask what you intend to do?" she asked.

Celestia smiled. "For the present, I believe your word that no harm shall come to Equestria or its citizens through you is enough. You are free to come and go in our kingdom as you wish. As long as you abide by our laws and don't cause trouble, there will be no need for me or my sister to take action against you. I have high hopes that we may become friends. I'm sure there is much we could learn from each other."

Samus snorted. Celestia and the others all looked at her curiously, but Recsigh knew what Samus was thinking.

"And what, pray, do you find so amusing?" Luna asked, looking pointedly at Samus.

"Sorry, but I was just thinking how unlikely it is that you ponies could teach us much of anything, while on the other hand, there is quite a lot we could teach you," Samus said, a smirk on her face, but Recsigh and Luna both saw the darkness in her eyes.

Luna, wondering just what that darkness meant, raised an eyebrow, while her sister stood tall and answered the human's challenge.

"I think you will find, Samus Aran, that there is always something we can learn from others, even if its something seemingly insignificant." Turning to the group as a whole, she smiled. "The guest chambers are kept in readiness for just such occasions as this. You are all welcome to stay as long as you wish. Now, I think I shall have a word with the chefs about dinner tonight."

As Celestia left the room, Luna looked right at Samus. "Samus Aran, I would speak with you and Recsigh in private. Will you join me?"

Samus shrugged, while Recsigh answered. "We would be honored."

Luna smiled and led the way out of the throne room. Down a darker hued hall with a dark indigo carpet she led them, to a set of indigo double doors bearing the same mark she bore on her flank; a silver crescent moon. Opening the door with her magic, Luna led them inside what was apparently her personal bedchamber, for a round bed with silver bed sheets stood by one wall.

"Samus Aran…"

"Just Samus is fine."

Luna frowned at the interruption, but continued. "Samus. I wish to know what the darkness in your eyes means."

Samus blinked, then looked at Recsigh.

Recsigh shrugged. "She's an observant pony. I didn't say anything."

Samus looked back at the Princess of the Night with newfound respect. Anyone who could read her eyes like that was someone to be reckoned with. "I've seen much in my life. There are things beyond this world… dark things, evil things. I was thinking of some of those things and how I hope I never have to recount them to you or anyone in this world."

Luna got a look of understanding in her eyes. "I too have seen terrible things in my life. Things I've never told anypony about, not even my beloved sister and we share most everything with each other. Somethings are meant to be secret. I respect your position, Samus and I will do all in my power to ensure you are not put in a position to give answers you wish not to give."

Samus nodded, grateful for the Princess' words, even if she knew they were next to useless. Sooner or later she'd wind up in a situation where she'd have to give answers she didn't want to give, but she'd deal with it when the time came. Worrying about the future was a waste of time and energy.

Luna then sighed tiredly. "You may go and explore the castle or return to your ship as you wish. I am tired and must rest before moonrise and my duty to raise the moon is upon us. Farewell, Samus Aran and Recsigh Ludren until we meet again," she said.

Recsigh and Samus excused themselves and left the Alicorn to rest. They wandered around the castle, poking around and learning the layout of the place. After exploring the castle and learning the layout, Recsigh and Samus headed back to where they had learned the guest chambers were. There they met up with the Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight.

Twilight was the first to spot them. "Oh! Hi, Samus, Recsigh. Were you two exploring the castle?"

"Yeah. It's a nice place. Reminds me of some of the ruins we've visited on other planets in the past," Recsigh said, smiling at the memory.

"Oooo! You have to tell us all about what it's like to live in space!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

She was definitely the weird one, what with her bizarre ability to bend reality and predict the future to an extent, not to mention her habit of talking incessantly or randomly bursting into song. Seriously, she'd sung like, six random songs on the train ride here. Samus made a mental note to stay as far away from the crazy pink pony as conveniently possible. Recsigh however, true to form, simply rolled with it and actually seemed to find the pink pony amusing.

Applejack however brought Pinkie Pie back down to earth. Well, as much as was possible anyway. "I'm sure they don't live in space, Pinkie. They just travel through it. Though I must admit, I'm perty curious mahself as to what it's like."

"Actually, Samus and I do live in space. You see, we travel so much we pretty much live in our ship, the _Hunter IV_. We really only stop for supplies and missions," Recsigh said.

"Missions? What are you, secret agents?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We're bounty hunters," Samus said. "We hunt down people with bounties on their heads or do odd jobs for hire that are… complicated."

Recsigh rolled her eyes. "She means we sometimes operate outside the law. However, we're more than just mercenaries. Though our services aren't all that particular and certainly aren't cheap, there are certain lines we won't cross."

Twilight and the others looked slightly uncomfortable, except for Pinkie Pie, who was simply waiting eagerly to learn what it was like to live in space. However, the discomfort vanished with Recsigh saying there were lines they wouldn't cross and Samus nodding in agreement, something the ponies had learned was significant considering the blonde's usual neutral expression.

Twilight, once again at ease, spoke. "So, what is it like to live in space? I can imagine it would be pretty exciting. Seeing new worlds, meeting all sorts of alien species…"

Recsigh chuckled. "To be honest, where we come from the word 'alien' has pretty much lost all meaning. There are so many sapient species living and working together, the word has become antiquated. Also, living in space isn't as exciting as you might think. It's pretty boring living on a small ship for weeks until you pull into port for supplies and see if you can drum up some work. Also, I was born in space and I've lived aboard massive colony ships my whole childhood. You see, my people, the Kazoden, are space nomads. We've wandered the galaxy for thousands upon thousands of years, ever since our home planet Kazode was destroyed."

The gang all gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Recsigh. That must have been terrible," Twilight said.

Recsigh shrugged. "It was, but it happened long before I or any of my people now living were born. I never saw Kazode, so I don't miss it, but I do remember the rich history that the Ancients preserved. At any rate, living on my home-ship, the _Resilient Hope_ , was how I met Samus."

"Ooo! Tell us how you met and became friends! I'm sure it's a great story!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

The others soon voiced their agreements and Recsigh looked at Samus. The blonde bounty hunter looked conflicted for a few moments, but she nodded and Recsigh told the story.

"It was many years ago. I was five at the time and Samus was three. The _Resilient Hope_ had landed on Samus' home planet of K-2L to resupply and I went exploring. I was wandering around town, when I saw a young girl staring at me with wide eyes from behind a stack of crates. Being used to people staring at me because of my looks, I went over and introduced myself.

"At first she was really shy, but after a moment she asked, 'Why is your skin black and red?'

"I laughed and said it was how all my people were, though there are many different marking colors besides red. We then ran off to play and had a great time. We became fast friends and we made a pact that we would never forget the other and never abandon or betray our friendship. We were too young at the time to realize what we were promising, but I for one have never forgotten that pact.

"Anyway, my people stayed on K-2L for a few days and the friendship between Samus and myself grew and blossomed into a strong bond. When the time came for us to depart, it was a tearful goodbye, but we promised we would never forget each other and would find each other again someday. It would be many years before we could make good on that promise.

"About eighteen years later, we met up again. After several events in my past, some of which I would rather forget, I finally managed to track down Samus and invited her to meet me at a hotel on a pleasant planet in the usually quiet Delon System. She was surprised to see me again after all those years and we got reacquainted. I also suggested a partnership, which she was reluctant to agree to, but it all worked out in the end. We've been shipmates and business partners for five years now."

The gang had all listened with rapt attention to the story and were obviously awed by it.

"I can't believe you went through all that and you still think friendship isn't magical," Spike said, breaking the silence.

Samus shrugged. "What Recsigh and I share is unique and special, but I wouldn't call it magical. Some friendships are meant to last, I guess."

Twilight shook her head. "You've got a lot to learn about friendship if that's all you think about it. I'd be happy to teach you all I know…"

Samus held up her hand, silencing the purple Alicorn. "Thanks, but no thanks. However, since we've gotta wait for our ship to finish repairing the engines and Recsigh's gotta see if she can find the materials to rebuild the reactor core, I am interested in learning more about this place and you ponies as a species."

"Well, in that case, I suggest we head back to Ponyville in the morning. I've got some great books that I'm sure will help," Twilight said, happy to help teach Samus about ponies if nothing else.

Samus nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad to see you are interested in learning about us. Perhaps in so doing you will learn other things you never expected to learn," Celestia said as she came into the room.

Everyone turned to her and would have bowed, but she waved it off. "Please, you are all friends. Really there is no need for such formalities. I only came to tell you that dinner will be served in a couple of hours in the informal dining hall. Until then, you may do as you please."

As she turned to leave, Recsigh walked over to her. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you alone."

Celestia smiled. "I would like that. Shall we go out to the gardens?"

Recsigh nodded, following without another word. Samus was mildly annoyed that Recsigh had left her to deal with the ponies they came with, but understood what her friend was doing. She only hoped she could survive until she returned without injuring somepony.

* * *

As they walked through the Canterlot Castle gardens, Princess Celestia and Recsigh were silent, simply enjoying the walk. Soon enough, Celestia broke the silence.

"Tell me, Recsigh, why is your friend Samus so reserved? I sense that there is more to her than appears to be, yet she is difficult to read."

"Samus is good at hiding her heart from others. Only the rare few are able to see past her walls and defenses to the wounded and scarred heart that lies beneath. We both have endured much hardship and pain in our pasts. It's one reason that she trusts me enough to occasionally drop the armor, lower her defenses, and just allow herself to feel, but not nearly often enough. She thinks emotion is weakness; an idea she developed over the years trying to cope with all that's happened to her."

"What has happened to her to make her so cold?"

"That is not my secret to tell. Samus is a complicated person and her trust is a thing that is hard to earn and easily lost. Her trust once lost is lost forever. She's been hurt too many times to allow second chances. I was once like her. Wounded and scarred, locking my emotions away and never letting others see the real me.

"I couldn't afford to let them see my weakness and take advantage of it and if someone betrayed my trust I would never forget or forgive. That all changed when I met someone who reminded me what friendship truly was, how perfect love casteth out fear, and of the great sacrifice of the Redeemer. Only then did I allow myself to feel all the pain and anguish I had kept locked up inside my heart for years. It was only once I did that, that I truly began to heal. After that, I redoubled my efforts to find Samus and restore our friendship so that I could do for her what my new friend had done for me. However, Samus is a very tough nut to crack," Recsigh replied.

"You speak as though you knew Samus before. You are old friends, I take it?"

"Yes. We first met as very young children, but we only knew each other a very short time before we had to go our separate ways. But we never forgot each other and when we met again years later, our friendship bloomed out stronger than ever."

Celestia smiled. "I knew I felt a connection with you. It is clear that you understand the magic of friendship. Perhaps this world will help you teach Samus. Who knows? Perhaps that is the very reason you crashed here."

Recsigh smiled. "You know, Celestia, I think you just might be right about that."

"Time will tell. Speaking of time, we should probably head back. Pinkie Pie might overwhelm your friend with her… enthusiasm."

The Princess and the hunter laughed at that and returned to the castle.

 **Author's Note: Forgot to do this last time. Thank you to everyone who has Followed, Favorited, and/or Reviewed. It is very much appreciated and encouraging.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Settling In.

The group spent the night at the castle, but Samus and Recsigh were eager to return to their ship/home, so they returned to Ponyville in the morning. After dropping them off at their ship, the gang departed for their respective homes, leaving the two friends to themselves.

Samus sighed in relief. "Finally! I thought that crazy Pinkie Pie pony would never leave!"

Recsigh chuckled. "Come on, Samus. She's not that bad."

"She's crazy. Not to mention those weird abilities she has and considering everything we've seen in our lives that's saying something."

"True. But there's something different about this place. Can't you feel it? The air is purer, the earth is more alive, this whole place just has an air of peace and tranquility about it that just speaks to me."

Samus had to agree. This place did have an air of tranquility and peace. She couldn't explain it, but it was nice, like a refreshing breeze and warming light in her soul. At the same time though, that feeling scared her. Unwilling to let Recsigh see her discomfort, Samus went inside the ship muttering something about scrounging up lunch.

Recsigh let her go, knowing full well Samus would need time to acclimate to this new world. She didn't tell Samus, but she felt that there was a reason that they had crashed on this planet and that it hadn't just been an accident or bad luck that they wound up stuck here. Sighing at the task before her, Recsigh activated her Battle Armor and began looking around for the materials she needed to fabricate a new reactor core using the scanner function of her visor.

* * *

After a few hours of fruitless searching, Recsigh returned to the ship to find Samus waiting for her. She shook her head in answer to Samus' inquiring gaze.

"Blast! Are you sure you didn't find anything?" Samus asked.

"I'm sure. To be honest, Samus, I seriously doubt I'll find the materials I need on this world. At least, not all of them," Recsigh answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, tetrosokite is only found in asteroids and decosilfate is an element only formed in space."

Samus ran a hand down her face, taking a few deep breaths through her nose. "You mean we're stuck here? For good?"

Recsigh shrugged. "Chances are pretty good on that, but you never know. There is a slight chance a meteor could fall and bring us the materials we need, but I wouldn't count on it."

"How can you be so calm about this? We're stuck here! On this crazy pony world and you're as calm as though you just came home!" Samus burst out, unable to conceal her feelings any longer.

"Calm down, Samus. This world's not so bad. Quite frankly, I find it refreshing after all we've been through. Just relax and enjoy the rest while we can. After all, you never know when trouble will strike again," Recsigh said, laying a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

Samus took a deep breath and exhaled. "You're right as usual. It's just, I don't know if I can relax anymore. It's been so long…"

Recsigh pulled her into a hug. "It's ok. You'll learn again. For now, just breathe. Everything will be alright. You'll see."

Samus chuckled wryly, even as she snuggled slightly into her friend's embrace. Recsigh always knew how to make her feel better and who knows? Maybe this place would be good for her after all. Straightening up, Samus gently pulled out of Recsigh's embrace. "Come on. Lunch is ready and I know you're hungry."

Recsigh followed, unobjectionable to food. The rest of the day was quiet and the friends spent it setting the ship in order, since the crash had made a mess of some things, before going to bed. The next day, Twilight came by to pick them up for a meeting at Town Hall, where the Mayor would introduce them to everypony. While slightly uncomfortable with the last minute notice, Samus and Recsigh simply followed her without a word.

* * *

As they walked into town, ponies looked at them with a mix of curiosity and fear. One pony actually screamed before fainting out right. Neither hunter paid any heed to the ponies around them, their attention was focused on Twilight as she led them to the raised platform in front of Town Hall, right smack in the middle of town. Turning to them, Twilight motioned for them to ascend the platform ahead of her. Recsigh and Samus obliged and stood to one side, while the Mayor took the podium on stage and gave her speech.

"Citizens of Ponyville, it is my great honor to introduce you to two beings from beyond the stars. Samus Aran, who is a human, and Recsigh Ludren, who is a Kazoden. They shall dwell among us until their ship is repaired, if repairs are possible. Regardless of whether they shall reside among us a few days or forever, we shall welcome them into our world and society with open hooves!"

The ponies all cheered and stomped the ground with their fore-hooves. Samus and Recsigh figured that was how they applauded. Twilight nudged them, glancing significantly at the podium. The hunters got the message and took the now vacant podium to give a few words.

Recsigh spoke first. "Thank you, Mayor Mare. As the Mayor stated, Samus and I are from beyond the stars. However, after searching for the necessary materials to fully repair our ship and return to where we come from, I found nothing. This leads us to believe that it is highly unlikely that we will be able to leave this world, though circumstances might change in the future. As for now though, you're all stuck with us, so we'd like to thank you for your hospitality. Thank you."

Samus nodded in agreement, opting not to speak since Recsigh had said all that needed to be said. The ponies all cheered again and the pair descended the platform and walked beside Twilight as she led them through town.

"Since you'll be staying here a while, I thought I'd give you a tour around town," she said smiling.

"Thanks, Twilight. That would be helpful," Recsigh answered.

Twilight nodded and led the way to various places around town. The first place she led them was Sugarcube Corner, the local bakery where Pinkie Pie lived and worked. Samus braced herself for the craziness that was sure to follow. Upon entering the shop, the trio were greeted by Pinkie as she bounced around behind the counter restocking the display case.

"Hi-ya! You're just in time! I've just made a fresh batch of cookies!" she exclaimed, bouncing over a depositing a huge plate of cookies on a nearby table. "Help yourselves!"

Recsigh and Samus, drawn by the delicious scent of the cookies, each took one and took a bite. It was amazing! Warm, soft, and delightfully chewy, those cookies were morsels of buttery goodness. Soon the pair had scarfed down the lot, having not eaten since very early that morning. Pinkie Pie grinned at them, catching their attention and causing both of them to look slightly embarrassed.

"More cookies?" Pinkie Pie asked, holding out another plate.

"No, thanks. Those were really good though," Samus said.

"Of course they were! I know how to make all kinds of yummy treats! Like cakes and cupcakes and pies and tarts and candy and pastries and cookies and all kinds of other stuff!" Pinkie said happily.

"Thanks for the cookies, Pinkie, but we've gotta go. I'm showing Samus and Recsigh around Ponyville," Twilight said, rescuing the uncomfortable looking Samus from Pinkie's onslaught.

"Okie dokie! Just make sure you're all back here by seven o'clock tonight. It's very important," Pinkie said, looking Samus and Recsigh dead in the eyes with a look that left no room for argument.

They both promised to be at the bakeshop at seven and Pinkie cheerfully got back to work. Twilight led them next to the Carousel Boutique, Rarity's establishment. As soon as the door opened, Rarity welcomed them inside.

"Would you like some tea, darlings?" she asked. "I was just about to put the kettle on."

"I'm good, thanks Rarity," Twilight said.

"I'll take a cup," Samus said.

"Coming right up. Recsigh?" Rarity turned to her expectantly.

"No thanks. I'm not much of a tea person," Recsigh said with an appreciative smile.

"Very well. I'm so glad you came today, darlings. I've been dying to ask you all about human and Kazoden fashion and I really would love to design you some new outfits. Those skin-suits are rather drab if you'll pardon my saying so," Rarity said, heading into the kitchen.

"Don't worry. We're not offended. These suits aren't exactly made to make a fashion statement. They're made for practicality and really they're part of our armor. The lining of our armor suits if you will," Recsigh explained.

"Oh! Of course. That makes sense. You two are warriors after all. No doubt you've never given much thought to fashion. Or cleanliness for that matter. Again, pardon my bluntness, but your manes are some of the dirtiest I've ever seen," Rarity said, setting a tea tray on the coffee table in her living room.

"Well, considering the shower is out of commission…" Samus started.

"Say no more. I have the perfect solution," Rarity said, standing and gently but firmly pushing the pair out the door.

"Whoa! Where are you taking us?" Samus asked.

"Why to the spa of course! You two are in serious need of some decent showers and a spot of pampering wouldn't hurt either," Rarity replied.

Samus felt uncomfortable, but Recsigh wasn't about to refuse a free spa-day. "Come on, Samus. When was the last time we saw the inside of a spa?"

"Uh, when we weren't broke," Samus retorted, digging her heels in.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, darling. Of course I'll take care of all the expenses," Rarity said, shoving the stubborn human harder.

Samus was impressed by how strong she was and how generous. After receiving a significant look from Recsigh, Samus finally gave in. "Alright. I'll go."

"Marvelous! Now, follow me," Rarity said, tossing her head up and prancing away to the Ponyville Spa.

* * *

"There now! Isn't this lovely?" Rarity asked as she, Twilight, Recsigh, and Samus soaked in the spa's hot tub.

Recsigh let out a sigh of absolute contentment, settling deeper into the water, with only her neck and head sticking out. Samus likewise sighed, feeling all the tension in her muscles just melt away.

"Yes. This is wonderful. Thank you, Rarity. I can't remember the last time I was this relaxed," the blonde human said, closing her eyes for a few moments.

"It was my pleasure, darling. I must say, you two clean up quite nicely and Recsigh, your markings are quite lovely. I've never seen anything like them before. In fact, I think I feel a design idea coming on," Rarity said, a far away look coming into her eyes.

Recsigh looked slightly embarrassed, but took the compliment graciously.

Twilight was the next to make an observation about both the hunters' physiology, though she looked quite embarrassed. "Um, Samus, Recsigh, I have a question."

"Yes, Twilight?" Samus said, having a pretty good idea as to why Twilight was embarrassed and finding it somewhat amusing.

"Um, you're girls right?"

"Yes," Recsigh said, catching the drift of the conversation and feeling equal mixes of embarrassment and amusement at Twilight's discomfort.

"Well, those things on your chests. Are those your mammary glands? And why are they so huge? Are you expecting?" the Alicorn asked, though her face showed that she was quite embarrassed by her own boldness.

Both Samus and Recsigh burst out laughing, knowing the pony's questions were asked in all innocence. Once she regained her composure, Recsigh answered.

"No, neither of us is expecting, Twilight. It's just a part of human and Kazoden anatomy and actually, Samus and I have rather small bust lines for our respective species. Our two species are actually quite similar genetically, biologically, and anatomically."

"Well, there are plenty of differences too. Most notably the Kazoden heal factor and indestructible skeleton," Samus said.

"Huh?" Twilight asked, looking confused.

Recsigh smiled. "My people have bones that cannot be broken by any force and a natural ability called heal factor that makes any wound heal within moments. Also, poisons and illnesses won't kill us. They can make us sick, but they won't actually kill us."

"Oh. How fascinating! You have to tell me all about it sometime," Twilight said, getting a scholar's gleam in her eye.

The look reminded Samus of the Chozo who had raised her after she lost her family on K-2L that fateful day, three weeks after Recsigh left. Recsigh was reminded of the scholars she had known among her own people. She smiled at Twilight.

"I'd be happy to share the knowledge of my people with you, Twilight Sparkle. It will be good for the history of my race to live on in another world," she said.

Twilight bowed her head. "I m honored to be entrusted with such a responsibility. Rest assured, the legacy of your people will be kept alive in memory."

Recsigh smiled, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Thank you, Twilight. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

* * *

Soon after, the party left the spa, Rarity returning to her boutique and Twilight continuing the tour. She showed them the hospital, though it was doubtful they would need it, what with Recsigh's abilities and the med-bay on the ship, but you never know. Twilight also led them through the market place, the park, past the schoolhouse, and had Applejack give them a quick tour of Sweet Apple Acres. The last place on the tour was Fluttershy's cottage.

When the shy Pegasus saw who it was, she smiled. "Oh. I didn't expect you to come so soon. Please, come in," she said, opening the door.

Twilight was still a little weirded out by Fluttershy's oddly brave behavior around the aliens, but decided to just roll with it. Recsigh and Samus were content to sit down and look around at the multitude of birdhouses and other critter cubbies. Both wondered why Fluttershy would want to have all these woodland creatures living inside her house, but Fluttershy interrupted their thoughts with the offer of tea and refreshments, which both were glad to accept.

Recsigh was pleasantly surprised with some small raw river tout, while Samus was less enthused. Fluttershy noticed.

"Do you not like fish, Samus?" she asked, rather shyly.

"I like fish well enough. I just prefer it cooked," Samus replied, sitting back and taking a sip of her tea.

Recsigh however made no bones about consuming the trout whole. She was glad of the protein and the taste was pretty good too in her own opinion. "Humans like Samus, unlike most predators, can't actually eat raw meat. Raw fish they can, but they usually prefer it cooked. Something about it tasting better. I on the other hand don't much care one way or the other," she said in answer to Flutershy's confused expression.

"Oh, I see. Well, like I said before, whenever you two need meat just come here and I'll take care of it," Fluttershy said.

"Again, thank you, Fluttershy. It's quite a relief to hear that," Recsigh said.

"Yeah… well, we should probably be going. Thanks for everything, Fluttershy," Twilight said, standing to leave.

"Oh, it was my pleasure," Fluttershy said, walking her guests out.

Samus and Recsigh turned to Twilight, both with the same raised eyebrow expression that clearly said, _"What now?"_

Twilight smiled. "There's one more stop on the tour. The Castle of Friendship, my home."

* * *

They followed the purple Alicorn to the castle at the edge of town. The structure looked like a giant blue crystalline tree with a crystal castle sitting in it. Recsigh quickly activated her helmet and Samus felt a twinge of hope, but when Recsigh deactivated her helmet and shook her head, her heart sank. The crystal wasn't one of the materials they needed for the reactor core. The pair followed Twilight inside and found the interior architecture to be impressive, if rather repetitive. Twilight led them around the castle and despite the repetitive architecture, Recsigh and Samus quickly memorized the layout.

"And that concludes our tour. We'd better get to Sugarcube Corner or we'll be late," Twilight said, turning to lead the way.

Samus balked. Twilight turned around shaking her head.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not getting out of this. Pinkie Pie would kill me if I didn't get you two there on time," she said, enveloping Samus in her magic and levitating her outside.

Samus yelped in surprise and activated her armor. Twilight immediately sensed her discomfort and gently set her down.

"Do you promise to come along? I will drag you there if I have to," Twilight said, glaring at Samus seriously.

Samus nodded in agreement and deactivated her armor, though she did shoot a glare at a snickering Recsigh. Twilight smiled. "Great! You won't regret it. Trust me," she said, happily leading the way back to Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight went inside first. When Samus and Recsigh followed, they found themselves in total darkness, which immediately put them on their guard. Suddenly the lights came on and practically everypony in town led by Pinkie Pie shouted, "SURPRISE!" as confetti and streamers exploded out of Pinkie's party cannon.

Everypony was startled by the sound of shattering glass and looked out the broken front window that the hunters had just leapt through and were now crouched outside in their armor, Samus pointing her Arm Cannon at them and Recsigh with her Plasma Saber at the ready.

Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly. "Maybe that was too much of a surprise?"

"Ya think?!" Recsigh exclaimed in a breathless tone as she lowered her weapon and deactivated it and her armor, Samus following her example.

"Sorry. I didn't know you didn't like surprises," Pinkie Pie said, looking a little disappointed.

Recsigh sighed. "It's not your fault. However, Samus and I have spent the majority of our lives on dangerous worlds where surprises generally want to kill us, so surprising us isn't the best idea."

"Do you have any idea how close I was to blasting your head off?" Samus asked, glowering.

"Nope. But come on! Let's party!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, grabbing the pair and dragging them back inside.

* * *

Despite her best efforts, Samus soon found that she couldn't be moody and taciturn at one of Pinkie Pie's parties. Soon enough she was loosening up and having a good time in her own way, which meant sitting in the corner for the most part watching the fun.

Pinkie Pie nudged Recsigh, who was having a good time playing 'Pin the Tail on Celestia' with a group of ponies.

"Why isn't Sammy joining in? This is a party! You're supposed to play games, dance, and have fun!" Pinkie asked.

Recsigh chuckled. "Don't call her that, she hates it. Also, Samus is having fun. I haven't seen her this relaxed since… forever."

Pinkie blinked. "Wow. She really doesn't know how to relax, does she."

"Nope. I'm hoping this world will change that though. It's so peaceful here and I'm hoping it will help teach Samus how to pull down the walls she's built around her heart and finally heal," Recsigh said.

"I'm sure it will. Ponyville is a great place for friends to help friends. I'm sure you'll help Sammy," Pinkie Pie said, bouncing away to enjoy the party.

Recsigh shook her head chuckling as she watched her go. Yep, Pinkie Pie was one unique pony and quite possibly one of the main things in Equestria that would help teach Samus the true meaning and value of friendship. Recsigh then went back to enjoying the party and getting to know some of the local ponies.

After the party, Samus and Recsigh accepted Twilight's invitation to spend the night at her castle, much to her surprise and pleasure. As they settled down in the comfy guest beds, Recsigh and Samus fell asleep with pleasant thoughts about this strange world they now called home.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: What Do Aliens Dream Of?

That night, Princess Luna watched over the kingdom of Equestria as usual. However, tonight she had a special trip into the realm of dreams planned. Seeing all was quiet, she spread her wings and entered the realm of sleep and dreams. The realm of dreams was very much like an astral hall of doors, each one leading into a different pony's (or alien's) dream. Luna walked down the corridor, searching for two particular doors. She soon found them, set a bit apart from the rest and completely different from the others.

While most ponies' doors resembled the doors of their bedrooms, the two Luna was looking at looked like the metal doors one might find on a spaceship. Also, one was barred by a forcefield of some kind and the other bore strange runes. Turning to the door with the runes, Luna entered the dream beyond.

She found herself in a long metal corridor with steel-grey walls and black arching support beams. It seemed a dreary place to the Alicorn Princess, who was unaccustomed to such architecture. Luna followed the corridor and soon came to an arched metal door with similar runes to the one she used to enter the dream. As she approached, the door slid open of its own accord, which puzzled her, but she continued through it anyway. On the other side was a huge room with a domed ceiling. What made Luna gasp though, was the fact that the dome was clear and one could see right out into the heavens. Also, the stars seemed brighter and closer and they seemed to be moving.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it," a voice said from behind her.

Luna turned and came face to face with the resident of this mind. Recsigh chuckled at the look of utter surprise on Luna's face.

"Don't be so shocked, Princess Luna. You are after all in _my_ mind. I was wondering how long it would be before your curiosity overcame you," Recsigh said, the playful smirk never leaving her lips.

"How did you know I was here? Usually I have to make my presence known to the dreamer," Luna asked.

Recsigh grinned. "My race is slightly telepathic. As a result we have much greater control over our minds than other races. By the way, don't try to enter Samus' mind. She's got a very strong will and has had extensive training in meditation and psychic combat. She'll kick you out faster than you can say 'Horseradish.'"

"Oh. What is this place? I've never seen anything like it."

"This the my home-ship the _Resilient Hope_ , where I spent my early childhood. I often visit it in my dreams."

Luna noticed the sad tone in Recsigh's voice. "It's gone now, isn't it."

Recsigh nodded. "Yes. Many years ago, the _Resilient Hope_ was attacked by Space Pirates, a cruel and vicious race who plunder and kill just for the fun of it. I alone survived. Come, I'll show you."

Luna followed Recsigh. Soon they reached another large room, this one not domed, with a solid ceiling, though the vastness of space was still visible through oval windows in the walls. As she watched the scene, Luna saw a much younger Recsigh running around playing with a small group of other Kazoden children, all with different color eyes and markings and each with their own unique pattern. All were wearing black bodysuits like the one Recsigh always seemed to wear, complete with silver metal utility belts. At first, all was quiet. The children played and the adults kept an eye on them while doing whatever needed to be done on the ship.

Suddenly, the ship lurched violently. One of the adults yelled something about Space Pirates and the others all scrambled to get the children to safety and prepare for battle. Recsigh was whisked away and placed in an escape pod by her mother, who gave her a hug and kiss before sealing her inside. Luna watched as Recsigh waited alone in the dark, trembling as the battle raged around her. The ship lurched again and the computer fired the escape pods.

Recsigh's pod fell towards a nearby planet, though Luna could tell even from this height that it was barren. Through the view port, Luna could see the burning hulk of the _Resilient Hope_ as its exploding engines tore it apart. However, many other escape pods were visible in the view port and it seemed that most of the inhabitants of the ship would escape. But then, Luna saw something more terrible than anything she had ever imagined.

A great dark ship, boxy and rough looking in outline, in stark contrast to the once graceful lines of the Kazoden ship, loomed into sight. A great beam of green light shot out of the front of the ship and struck one of the escape pods. A gaping hole was torn in the pod, which caused the occupant to be sucked out into space, where they writhed in agony for what seemed like hours, then went still. More beams struck more pods and Luna turned to her guide.

Recsigh looked very sad. "They are hunting down the survivors for sport. They enjoy watching as their prey suffocates in the vacuum of space. It's very painful for a Kazoden, since we can last for up to half an hour without air."

"Why?" Luna asked, her voice showing how utterly horrified she was.

"It is their way. It always has been. This is the evil Samus and I have fought against for so many years. This is the face of true evil."

"How did you survive? If all the others were hunted…"

"My pod was already in the atmosphere of the planet by the time they tracked it. By then they had taken out all the other survivors and they figured I'd die in reentry or on the planet anyway, so they left."

Luna was stunned, shocked numb by this. That there were creatures out there that hunted and killed other sapient species just for sport… it was awful to contemplate. Yet… a part of her had always known that such evil existed. She just hoped that if and when it arrived on her world, the planet Airus, that they would be ready to face it.

Recsigh watched the thoughts play out across Luna's face and smiled, though there was a sadness in it. "You are wise to realize that sooner or later such evils will be visited upon this world. Unfortunately, it is the fate of all worlds to face such darkness, but there is hope. As long as there are those who will stand against evil and fight it no matter what the cost, then evil can never endure. No matter how dark the night, sooner or later the dawn must come."

"Yes, that is true and I take comfort in those words. But tell me Recsigh, is this why Samus is the way she is? Always hiding her heart under a cold shadow?" Luna asked, looking into Recsigh's eyes.

"It is. She too lost her family and village to the Space Pirates, but more than that I cannot say. Princess Luna…"

"Please, call me Luna."

Recsigh smiled. "Very well, Luna. I've been meaning to ask, what do those marks on your flank mean?"

"You mean my cutie mark? All ponies get them. They represent a pony's special talent. Mine is raising and lowering the moon, while my sister's is raising and lowering the sun," Luna answered.

Recsigh blinked. "You mean you actually raise and lower the moon and sun? Doesn't the rotation of your planet do that?"

Luna shook her head. "No. Airus doesn't actually rotate on its own nor does its moon orbit properly, so when I 'raise' the moon for this half of the planet, Celestia 'raises' the sun for the other half and vice versa."

"Hmm. That's interesting, though I suppose it's not any more bizarre than reverse gravitational planets, where the sun is actually inside the planet. Those are weird and that's saying something considering half the things I've seen," Recsigh said.

Luna chuckled. "I suppose it would be. At any rate, it's time for you to wake, is it not?"

"Yes. Goodbye, Luna. We'll meet in the waking world soon," Recsigh said.

"I'm sure we will. Goodbye for the present, Recsigh," Luna said, then disappeared.

Recsigh woke feeling refreshed, though her mood was somewhat bittersweet. The memories of her past were still painful, but nowhere near what it had once been. She got up and got ready for the day ahead, which she was sure would prove interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Cultures Collide.

The day dawned bright and early as Samus and Recsigh headed downstairs, following their noses to to castle kitchen.

"Good morning. What smells so good?" Recsigh asked, sniffing the delightful aroma that had drawn her and Samus to the kitchen.

Spike looked up from the stove where he was flipping pancakes, a surprised look on his face. "Oh! Good morning, Recsigh, Samus. Breakfast isn't quite ready yet. I didn't know you two were early birds," he said, flipping the last pancake out of pan and onto the stack on the platter beside him.

"Yeah, we usually get up pretty early. How long until breakfast?" Samus inquired.

"A little while. There's some fruit on the table if you're really hungry. Help yourselves," Spike replied, finishing the pancakes and proceeding to fry up a mess of eggs.

Samus and Recsigh headed over to the table and each helped themselves to an orange and a nectarine respectively. The fresh fruit was sweet and delicious and helped take the edges off their hunger. When you're nomadic intergalactic bounty hunters, fresh fruit is not something you can enjoy everyday, so Recsigh and Samus were more than happy to avail themselves of it now. Soon Twilight and Starlight made their way into the kitchen and Spike set the food out on the table.

Breakfast was good, for as it turned out, Spike was an excellent cook; the pancakes were fluffy, the fried eggs were cooked and seasoned to perfection, and the hash-browns were light golden-brown and slightly crispy. There was also toast with jam, butter, and honey to put on it, maple syrup, whipped cream, and fresh fruit slices for the pancakes, and rich milk and fresh orange juice to drink. Both bounty hunters ate with good appetites, very glad to have something other than freeze-dried rations to eat, especially something this good. They soon pushed their plates away, sighing in absolute contentment.

"That was hands down one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my life. Thank you, Spike. If only we had room for a real galley on the _Hunter IV_ ," Recsigh said, rubbing her full belly.

"You said it, sister. With food like this, I could get used to living here," Samus concurred, patting her own delightfully full stomach.

Spike blushed. "Awww, it was nothin'," he said bashfully.

"Don't be so modest, Spike. You've always had a real talent for cooking," Twilight said, smiling proudly at him.

"Thanks, Twi. I'm gonna go do the dishes now," Spike said, gathering up the dishes and heading to the sink.

Twilight looked at Samus and Recsigh. "How about we start those lessons on ponykind and all that? I'm sure you two have many questions."

"That would be great," Recsigh said, standing and following Twilight and Starlight, Samus a few steps behind her.

* * *

Going into the castle library, Twilight turned around and assumed her teacher's air. "Now, we will begin with the basics. Pony Anatomy," she said levitating a book off a nearby shelf.

"Hooves, hocks, poll, mane, tail… shall I continue?" Samus asked, pointing to the various parts she named.

Twilight and Starlight's mouths dropped open. Recsigh laughed.

"Don't look so shocked. We know about equine anatomy. Only, where we come from equines don't talk and are not sapient. Also, we've never seen Unicorns or Pegasi in reality, let alone Alicorns, but those are easy to figure out more or less," she said.

"Ok… Since you already know about equine anatomy, how about you teach us about human and Kazoden anatomy. We have absolutely no knowledge of it," Twilight said, looking eager.

Recsigh smiled. "Sure. You're definitely gonna wanna take notes on this as there's a lot to cover. At any rate, human and Kazoden anatomy is nearly identical, with only a few minor differences…"

Twilight eagerly wrote down everything Recsigh, with occasional input from Samus, said as she explained all about human and Kazoden anatomy. It took a couple hours, but with Samus helping and both Unicorn and Alicorn taking notes, the 'alien anatomy' lesson went quite well. After that, Samus asked about cutie marks, which Twilight got quite enthusiastic about.

"You mean ponies in your world don't have cutie marks? Oh! This is so exciting! I finally get to teach you something!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, you gonna explain what the heck 'cutie marks' are or are you just gonna geek out all day?" Samus asked somewhat impatiently.

Twilight blushed. "Oh. Right. Hehe. Anyway, a cutie mark is the symbol of a pony's special talent. It appears on their flank when they discover what it is that makes them unique."

"So, it's magical?" Samus asked.

"Sort of. You know, I never really thought about it," Twilight replied, rubbing her chin.

"Actually, it is magical in a sense. I mean, why else would I be so gung-ho with stealing yours?" Starlight said.

Recsigh and Samus blinked. "You _stole_ , Twilight's cutie mark?" they both asked at the exact same time.

Starlight blushed for shame and lowered her head, her ears drooping as well. "It's not something I'm proud of, but there was a time when I was not the nicest pony. I was angry and bitter that my best friend had gotten his cutie mark before me and left me behind to go to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot, so I learned a spell that would allow me to steal the cutie mark off a pony's flank and trap it in a magical vault.

"I then built a village way out in the middle of nowhere and lured ponies there. Then I stole their cutie marks and replaced them with equal signs because I believed that the differences that the marks represented caused nothing but problems. Turns out I was the problem. Twilight and the others came to the village one day and I stole their cutie marks too, trying to force them to accept my way. Fortunately they managed to stop me even without their marks and freed the ponies I had enslaved. That wasn't the end of our struggle, but that's a story for another day."

"The point is, in the end Starlight turned out to be a misguided pony who made some very bad choices. But she's learning to move past them and become a better pony. Now, what else would you two like to know about us ponies or Equestria in general?" Twilight asked.

"Aside from the obvious, how exactly do the four types of ponies differ?" Recsigh asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight inquired.

"Aside from the physical differences, what makes each of the four types of ponies unique?"

"Oh! Well, Unicorns are the only ponies that can use magic, Pegasi are the only ones that can fly and walk on clouds without magic or technology, and Earth ponies are the best at growing plants and are far stronger than the others. Alicorns combine and enhance the attributes of all three. It's rare that Alicorns are born as such; usually a pony earns it by discovering a part of themselves that unlocks that power and earns them the title of Princess or Prince as the case may be. I was born a Unicorn and I earned my wings and strength by completing a spell about friendship that Star Swirl the Bearded began. That's why I'm the Princess of Friendship, because of all the lessons my friends taught me that helped me complete the spell," Twilight explained.

Samus and Recsigh looked slightly confused.

"Um, I think we've got a lot of ground to cover. That explanation, while answering my question, has raised about a dozen more. How does Unicorn magic work? What makes Earth ponies so strong? How come Pegasi can walk on clouds? And how in the world can Alicorns be both born and made?" Recsigh asked, scratching her head.

"Not to mention all the other things we want to know, like how does the governmental structure work? What is this planet's seasonal cycle? Are there any strange weather phenomena we should know about? What kinds of pests and dangerous animals should we watch out for? To name a few," Samus said.

Twilight's jaw dropped. She shook her head a moment later. "Why don't we start at the beginning? Now, where is that book? Ah-ha! Here it is. My copy of _The Complete History of all things Pony_." Twilight took down a book that was at least four inches thick. "I suggest reading this first. It's a good overview. After that, I'm sure you'll have a better idea of what topics you want to explore next," she said, levitating the book over to Recsigh.

The weight of the book nearly pulled Recsigh to the floor when Twilight released her magic hold on it; she wasn't expecting it to be quite so heavy. Once Recsigh got a grip on it though, it wasn't so bad. After all, her kind did have fifty times the strength of humans. Setting the book on a reading table, she opened it and encountered a problem.

"Um, Twilight, I can't read this," Recsigh said, turning to the Alicorn.

Samus looked in the book and shook her head. "I can't read it either."

Twilight blinked. "You mean you don't know how to read?"

"No. We just can't read your characters. It's different from the characters humans, Kazoden, and other species we know of use for their various writings. In all our travels, we've never seen writing like this before," Recsigh explained.

"But, fortunately our Suits have a translator function and might be able to translate this," Samus said, activating her Power Suit and scanning the page. "Good news. It works."

Recsigh grinned and activated her own Battle Armor. She quickly went through the entire book in five minutes, just flipping through the pages, letting her scan-visor record all the data and translate it. Samus repeated the process, then returned the book to the shelf. Twilight and Starlight stared in slack-jawed amazement at the process.

"That was incredible! I've never seen anypony read that fast! How…" Twilight started.

Recsigh interrupted her. "We weren't actually reading. Our Suits just recorded all the data and translated it so we can go back over it later at our leisure."

"Our Suits' computers can process over one hundred thousand words per minute, so translation work is easy," Samus said.

"Then, why did you bother to tell me you couldn't read our language?" Twilight asked.

"Because we'll probably run into situations where we'll need to ask you what something says until we can learn the written language. Despite our Suits being able to do a lot of useful things, there will be times when we can't or prefer not to use them," Recsigh explained.

"Oh. That makes sense. Well, I think that's enough study for today, it's almost lunchtime. Then you'll probably wanna get back to your ship," Twilight said, a disappointed tone in her voice.

Recsigh smiled. "We do need to get back to our ship, but we'll be back later. I've got a lot of information to add to this library."

Twilight brightened up at once, remembering Recsigh's promise to share the history of her people with her. "I look forward to that."

* * *

After a delicious lunch prepared once again by Spike, Samus and Recsigh headed home. When they arrived, the computer informed them that repairs to the engines had been completed, so they could now fly. Samus grinned and headed for the cockpit. She wasted no time in getting the ship out of the crater and landing it about two miles outside of Ponyville, somewhere between the Castle of Friendship and Sweet Apple Acres. Now that they had a crater-free place to stay, the two hunters quickly set up their basecamp. All that really entailed was taking some things, namely tools, out of storage and setting out their 'fence.'

Really, the fence was just a dozen three meter high poles placed in a circle around the ship roughly five meters out. Each pole was topped by an illume-sphere, which would give out a white light after dark. The poles were also lined with emitters that created an electric fence when activated. It was designed to repel creatures and deliver a harmless, but very painful shock if something tried to break through.

Once their basecamp was set up, Recsigh went through a special trunk that she kept locked and under her bed. Unlocking it, she drew out a very old and precious artifact from her people's history. An old leather-bound book, with elegant gold scroll work on the cover in the shape of a stylized sun in all it's glory over a great stylized oak tree. This book was one of a set of twelve, each telling the history of the ancient tribe of Kazode that it had belonged to before the Great Destruction.

Recsigh knew that the other eleven were out there somewhere, for though seemingly fragile, the books were indestructible, for they were protected by an ancient power that no one now living quite understood. It was the closest thing to magic Recsigh had ever seen before crashing on this planet. She wondered if Twilight might be able to find a way to locate the other tomes and reunite them for safe keeping. It wasn't like her people needed the physical books to remember, since everything had been copied digitally. But the books held a special value in the hearts of her people and the thing that all Kazoden desired most of all for these books was for them to be forever preserved, safe from being lost.

Setting the book on her bed, Recsigh drew out a silk cloth bag and placed the book inside. She then reached into the trunk again and drew out a box with a stylized oak tree, similar to the one on the book, but instead of a sun above it, there was an eye below it. Tracing her hand over the design, Recsigh smiled nostalgically. She remembered well the day she earned this box and what lay inside it. Taking a small golden key from inside a secret compartment in the trunk, she unlocked the box and opened it.

Inside, sitting on a red velvet lining, was a giant gemstone, clear as pure crystal and encircled by a thick gold frame with strange runes carved into it. It was the Eye of Hope, the key to reading the Book of the Rangoa Tribe, the knowledge of her ancestors. Closing and locking the box again, Recsigh locked her trunk, gathered the box and bag, and headed back to Twilight's castle. There was much for her to discuss with the Princess, but this book would be an excellent start.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: History Lessons.

While Recsigh was out giving Twilight the Book of the Rangoa Tribe and the Eye of Hope for safe keeping and no doubt sharing the rich history of her people, Samus was sitting in her comfy pilot's chair reading the book Twilight had shown her, which she had downloaded from her Suit into the ship's computer so she could read it via the console while sitting in the comfort of her chair. So far, the information proved to be a most interesting read and had already answered several of Samus' questions about this strange world.

Apparently, the planet was called Airus and had been formed some five thousand years ago by someone known as the Great Maker. Or so ponies believed once upon a time. By the time the Three Tribes Era rolled around, most ponies had forgotten about him and were more concerned with their own problems.

Equestria itself was founded at the end of the Three Tribes Era, when the leaders of the three tribes, Unicorn, Pegasi, and Earth ponies, got together to face a common enemy and became friends in the process. Apparently, things got better ever since, with only a few serious threats cropping up here and there.

One such threat, some bizarre creature named Discord, had caused enough trouble to draw the two Alicorn Princesses, Celestia and Luna, the last of their breed at the time, out of hiding to defeat him. What puzzled Samus though, was the mention of the Elements of Harmony and how they turned Discord into stone. The Elements were again mentioned when she reached the tale of Nightmare Moon.

Samus was intrigued by the story of how Luna became jealous of her sister Celestia and as a result became possessed by the Nightmare Forces, a force of _'other worldly creatures'_ of darkness, hatred, and evil. However, the book seemed to end with the prophecy of her return to cast night eternal and a mention of how only the Elements of Harmony could stop her. Samus inferred that the Elements had been used on her a while ago, since Luna was back and night eternal wasn't a problem. She made a mental note to ask Twilight about that, as well as a better explanation of why the Alicorns had gone into hiding about four thousand years ago according to this world's timeline. In the meantime, she decided to do some tinkering with her Power Suit to see if Recsigh's theory was correct and that she could unlock almost every Suit and Weapon upgrade she'd ever gotten.

* * *

Recsigh was sitting in the castle library with Twilight going over the history of her ancestral tribe. Twilight was enthralled by the wealth of knowledge contained in the book and the rich history of Recsigh's people.

"Wow, Recsigh. This is amazing! I had no idea alien cultures were so vibrant," Twilight murmured as she listened with rapt attention while Recsigh read aloud from the book.

Recsigh's smile was nostalgic and a little sad. "Yes, my people have been around for a long time and our history reflects that. We were one of the first races to explore the stars and that opened us up to many enemies, but also expanded our knowledge of the universe."

"I wasn't talking about that. I mean, it's amazing, but I was talking about your customs and celebrations. I didn't know you had holidays similar to Hearths Warming Eve and Hearts and Hooves Day and Nightmare Night! I would have thought you'd have a bunch of weird holidays that made no sense," Twilight said.

"Gee, thanks," Recsigh said sardonically, rolling her eyes.

Twilight blushed a little. "That came out wrong."

Recsigh chuckled, at once putting Twilight back at ease. "I know. But anyway, it turns out most sapient species have such holidays. It's because we all share certain beliefs and traits, even if we don't realize it. Winter's Light is a celebration of the birth of the Redeemer, which is why we give gifts to remind us that the Creator has given us the greatest gift of all. Open Hearts Day is a day to celebrate the love we have not just for those close to us, but all our fellow men, so to speak. And All Hallows Eve is actually something we picked up from humans. It started as a day to remember those who have passed on, but evolved into a celebration of all things spooky."

"I see. It makes you wonder just what all is out there and just how much we all share without realizing it," Twilight said, getting a faraway look in her eyes.

"Yeah. I've been to many, many places in this galaxy and I still have only brushed the proverbial tip of the iceberg. There's so much out there, it's nigh impossible to learn it all in one lifetime, but that's what makes life exciting; knowing that there's always something new out there to discover," Recsigh said.

Twilight smiled. "I totally agree. Anyway, as much as I would love to continue delving into the rich history of Kazode, I think we should probably stop for today. I promised Fluttershy I'd help her relocate some animals this afternoon."

"And I've got a project or two back home I'd like to work on. See you tomorrow, Twilight," Recsigh said, waving and heading out the door.

* * *

Samus looked up from her workbench when she heard Recsigh come in. She then returned to her work and didn't spare a second glance. Recsigh smiled and shook her head slightly. Once Samus became engrossed in a project, there was no tearing her away from it. As for Recsigh, she headed over to her own workbench and began looking through her supplies. She soon pulled out a collection of odds and ends and began working on her own project.

After working for several hours in comfortable silence, other than the noise of tools, Samus finished tinkering with her Suit and put her tools away. She then glanced over at Recsigh's work area and saw she had her welding screen up as well as the telltale flashes of the mini plasma-welder. After a few moments, Recsigh put the welder away and took down the screen. Samus could smell the faint traces of molten metal fumes that still hung in the air, but her attention was on the thing laying on Recsigh's workbench.

On the workbench was a metal bird the size and shape of a hawk. Samus at once recognized it as the scout drone Recsigh had been wanting to build for a while now, but could never find the time for. Now she watched as her friend polished the bird's metal body, then anodized it a glossy black with silver accents, and finally wired it up, fitting it with bright blue-grey eyes. The last thing she did was upload the special programing she'd written for it in her spare time. After a few moments the metal bird came to life and perched on Recsigh's shoulder.

"Well Spock, welcome to the land of the living. As much as a robot can be anyway," Recsigh said, grinning from ear to ear.

Samus chuckled. "You did not seriously name your robot bird Spock, did you?"

Recsigh looked slightly offended. "And why not? I happen to like that ancient human TV show, despite its notorious inaccuracies."

Samus just continued to chuckle. "Nothing's wrong with it, I just find it hilarious."

Recsigh rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Any luck with the recovery program?"

Samus frowned. "No. I was hoping you could take a look at it."

Recsigh smiled. "Sure. Bring your Suit over here."

Samus brought her Suit over and set it on the workbench. Recsigh dismissed Spock to the perch she had built for him and got to work. After a few hours of combing through the systems, she finally stumbled across the program she was looking for. Activating it, she and Samus squinted as the Power Suit glowed brightly for a few moments, then returned to normal. Samus put it on and checked the systems.

 _Dark Suit recovered._

 _Light Suit recovered._

 _Legendary Suit recovered._

 _Spazer Beam recovered._

 _Wave Beam recovered._

 _Ice Beam recovered._

 _Dark Beam recovered._

 _Light Beam recovered._

 _Annihilator Beam recovered._

 _Battlehammer recovered._

 _Volt Driver recovered._

 _Magmaul recovered._

 _Judicator recovered._

 _Shock Coil recovered._

 _Imperialist recovered._

 _Nova Beam recovered._

 _Seeker Missile recovered._

 _Ice Missile recovered._

 _Spring Ball recovered._

 _Boost Ball recovered._

 _Spider Ball recovered._

 _Thermal Visor recovered._

 _X-Ray Visor recovered._

 _Dark Visor recovered._

 _Echo Visor recovered._

 _Grapple Voltage recovered._

 _Space Jump Boots recovered._

 _Screw Attack recovered._

 _Gravity Boost recovered._

Samus blinked in surprise. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you could recover nearly every upgrade I've ever attained. With all these features restored, I'm more powerful than ever before."

"Take another look at your visor," Recsigh said.

Samus looked and her jaw dropped in shock.

 _New feature attained. Power Lock: Permanently locks all upgrades into Suit data banks._

"That means…"

"You can't lose your current upgrades or any new ones you happen to obtain," Recsigh said, putting the last of her tools away. "However, there is a limit to how much your Suit can handle, but I'd estimate you've got the storage capacity for between three to six more upgrades. Maybe."

"Still, I've got a lot of firepower at my command. I feel considerably better knowing I've got some of these more powerful weapons back. To be honest, I kinda missed the Ice Beam."

Recsigh smirked. "That always was a favorite of yours. Anyway, I'm hungry and thoroughly sick of freeze-dried rations, so I'm going to see if our friends might be prevailed upon to provide dinner."

Now Samus smirked. "You never were shy of asking. Though, in this instance I must agree, especially after tasting Spike's cooking."

Recsigh couldn't suppress a chuckle as Samus subconsciously licked her lips as she remembered the excellent breakfast and lunch the little dragon had made earlier that day. Soon both bounty hunters were sitting in the castle kitchen enjoying more of Spike's fine cooking. Twilight was a little surprised to see them again.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you both again, but why did you come just for dinner?" she asked. "I mean, there is a nice café in town."

Recsigh and Samus looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, you see, we haven't had any work since we crashed here, so we're effectively broke and all we have to eat on our ship is freeze-dried rations, which in my opinion just barely qualify as edible survival rations," Recsigh said, a thoroughly disgusted look on her face.

Samus nodded in agreement. "The stuff tastes like chalk. It's about the same consistency too."

Twilight grimaced. "Well, until you can find work, feel free to stop by for meals anytime. I certainly wouldn't want my friends going hungry."

"Thank you, Twilight. It's quite a relief to know we have friends here," Recsigh said with a heartfelt smile.

However, both hunters resolved to forage in the nearby forest the next day, not wanting to wear out their welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Everfree Forest.

Early the next morning, Recsigh and Samus ventured into the forest that bordered Ponyville known as the Everfree Forest. When they had questioned Twilight about it the night before, they had learned that pony-folk considered the forest to be unnatural on account of plants growing, animals caring for themselves, and clouds moving all on their own, without any interference from ponies. In other words, it was a perfectly normal forest from the hunters' perspective. Though, Samus and Recsigh did admit that the forest seemed a bit darker than it should have been, but other than that, it seemed perfectly normal. Still, they weren't about to take any chances, so they wore their armor suits and were on their guard.

Recsigh was in the lead, being the one with the highest agility, not to mention senses to rival most any creature's. She sniffed the air, taking in all the scents of the forest. Despite having her helmet activated, it was designed to allow Recsigh to use her superior senses unimpeded, unless the atmosphere required heavy filtering to be breathable or she was in space or underwater. As she sniffed the air, Recsigh picked up a scent that caught her interest and moved to follow it. Samus followed her, scanning the trees and underbrush for any threats, fully trusting Recsigh and her nose. Soon they came to a patch of blueberries, the source of the enticing smell. Recsigh grinned.

"Jackpot. This is a very useful find and if my nose isn't mistaken, there should be a blackberry patch somewhere nearby and possibly a wild peach grove," Recsigh said.

"You go find the peach grove and see if you can't scare up some meat. I'll take care of things here," Samus said.

Recsigh nodded and moved deeper into the forest. She soon found the peach trees and sniffed around for any wild animals that might frequent this part of the forest. After several minutes of searching, she didn't pick up any fresh scents, except for one. It was some sort of equine, so probably sapient, but it wasn't a pony, that was for sure.

Curious, Recsigh followed the scent. She hadn't gone too far when she bumped into the source; a zebra wearing a brown cloak with a deep hood. The zebra stepped back with a gasp, her hood falling down off her head, revealing some gold neck rings and earrings. Recsigh stumbled back a step or two, apologizing for the collision.

The zebra seemed a little confused and rather wary. "What manner of creature is this I see? I have not seen your like in Everfree."

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Recsigh Ludren and I am a Kazoden," Recsigh said, inclining her head.

"A creature of metal and gears you would seem, yet something more underneath I perceive," the zebra said.

"You are correct. I am wearing my Battle Suit, a suit of powered armor that protects me during battle or exploration in unknown environments. However, I am most curious, who exactly are you?"

"Ah! My manners I seem to have misplaced. Zecora I am called, by all who know my face. Tell me, are you alone Recsigh, or is there a friend of yours nearby?" Zecora said.

Recsigh chuckled. "I'm not alone. My human friend Samus Aran is around here somewhere. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she is watching us right now. At any rate, I presume you wish to know where we come from and all that."

"On the contrary. Much news of you has reached me already. The aliens that fell from the sky are a topic of interest far and wide. Though I am curious as to your presence here. What is of interest that draws you near?"

"Samus and I are foraging. We have found some decent berry patches and a nice peach grove, but there seems to be relatively little in the way of animals we can hunt."

"Hmm. An omnivore's diet is what you seek. A balance of plants and of meat. Come with me, if you do not mind. I might have a solution for your little bind," Zecora said, turning and leading the way into the forest.

Recsigh followed, feeling an odd connection with this zebra who always spoke in rhymes. It wasn't far to Zecora's hut and Recsigh ducked under the doorframe, her armor giving her an extra three or four inches of height. Inside, she felt comfortable enough to deactivate her armor, which startled Zecora, but the zebra quickly recovered.

"Your natural form I must admit I like, much better than your metal might," the zebra said, smiling kindly.

Recsigh smiled. "Yeah, I like it better too. But I also like not having to rely on my heal factor all the time."

Zecora looked confused for a moment, but shook it off. "Not to be rude, but your hunger is quite obvious. You and your friend require proper sustenance. Would I be correct to presume, you've had no meat for nearly a moon?"

Recsigh blinked. "Nothing substantial, no. How did you…"

"I was not certain of my guess, until you confirmed your own distress. Do not worry, friend Recsigh. I will show you how to supply, your needs and those of Samus too. Soon you will have proper food," Zecora said, going over to a bookshelf filled with scrolls.

After rummaging through the scrolls a bit, Zecora selected one and deposited in on the table. Unrolling it, she revealed it to be a map of the forest. "This is a map of Everfree. It shows good hunting trails as you can see."

"Yes. But, why would you help a couple of predators like Samus and myself?" Recsigh inquired.

Zecora smiled. "Though equines' diets are all herbivorous, does not mean we cannot help the omnivorous. Besides, I know you and Samus do not hunt, those of us who are sapient. Take this map, a gift to you. I wish you happy hunting and Samus too."

Recsigh took the map and bowed her head. "Thank you, Zecora. This map will be of great help to us."

Zecora returned the gesture. "You are most welcome, my dear friend. Now go and put your hunger to an end."

"Farewell, Zecora. I'm glad to have met you," Recsigh said, taking her leave.

"Until we meet again, friend Recsigh. Next time bring Samus by," Zecora said, waving a hoof.

"I will, you can be sure of that," Recsigh called back, a big grin on her face, even as she reactivated her armor.

Recsigh hadn't gone far before she ran into Samus. The orange clad bounty hunter crossed her arms and Recsigh could practically see the frown on her face, despite the opaqueness of her visor.

"I've just met Zecora, that zebra Twilight was talking about. She gave me this map of game trails," Recsigh said, handing Samus the map.

Samus took it wordlessly, scanned it, and handed it back, stalking off into the forest, Recsigh close behind. It wasn't long before the hunters found a small herd of deer peacefully feeding under the trees. A quick scan told them that the animals were just that, animals, not sapients. Samus aimed her Arm Cannon, but a black blur sped by. A plasmic hiss, a flash of red, and the herd scattered, revealing Recsigh standing over the body of a buck, its neck having been impaled, spine severed, by her Plasma Saber still in hand. She deactivated the weapon and slung the carcass over her shoulder. Samus lowered her Cannon, shaking her head.

"Must you show off?" she asked, though her voice held a tone of amusement.

"What can I say? I'm hungry for some real meat," Recsigh said.

Samus nodded in agreement, turning on her heel and heading back to the ship.

 **Author's Note: This is the last of my stockpile of finished chapters so updates will probably be infrequent. Sorry. Also, as fun as Zecora is to write for, she's also one of the hardest characters to write.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: How Do We Fit In?

Nearly a week had passed since the crash and both Samus and Recsigh were starting to feel a little, not so much restless as disjointed, like they didn't belong. Both wanted to work, not only to supply a steady income, but to give them something to do each day. However, bounty hunting work was pretty scarce in Equestria, so they weren't quite sure what to do. Recsigh was the first to suggest that they try getting jobs in town, but the results of their efforts were not so great.

There just didn't seem to be any jobs that really fit them. When Samus tried working on the farm with Applejack and her family, she wound up nearly blowing the barn up when a wasp stung the back of her neck and brought friends. The resulting chase ended up with a final tally of twenty bushels of smashed apples, a broken fence, and a destroyed weathervane. The Apple Family took the losses in stride, though it was clear they didn't want Samus taking up farm work.

Recsigh didn't have much better success in baking with Pinkie Pie either. She didn't chase a wasp around the kitchen, trying to kill it for stinging her, but she did wind up destroying the oven. Of course she put it back together again and even upgraded it a little, but it was clear that baking wasn't her forte. Carpentry was another bust. Using high-tech tools for low-tech work wasn't a very wise practice and so Recsigh moved on. But, it was more or less the same everywhere. Recsigh and Samus were just too high-tech for most of the jobs in Ponyville.

So it was that Twilight found two dejected hunters sitting outside their ship, trying to figure out their next move.

"Hi, Samus, Recsigh. Why the long faces?" the purple Alicorn asked.

"Oh, hey Twilight. We're just trying to figure out what we should do next. We've tried every job in town and nothing really fits us," Recsigh said with a heavy sigh.

"And the kicker is we really do need to find employment of some kind soon. Mostly to supply an income, but also so we have something to do. Sure, we've got our pet projects, but what we need is something more… substantial, so to speak," Samus added, looking equal parts frustrated and gloomy.

Twilight considered the hunters' words for a few moments. "So, you're trying to find your place in this world. I get it. I've been there myself. For a while, I wasn't sure where I fit in, what my part in the grand scheme of things was. But, in time I found my place. True it was a somewhat painful journey in some aspects, but in the end, it was worth every step." She walked over and gently lifted Recsigh's chin with a forehoof. "I understand how hard it can be to wait to find your purpose, but just be patient and you'll find it. I know you will. As three certain Princesses once told me, you'll play your part. You'll find your place."

Recsigh offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Twilight. It does help to know we're not the only ones to ever feel disjointed in this world. We'll just keep plugging away until we find our place."

"That's the spirit! I'll write to Princess Celestia and ask her if she has any advice on the subject. Who knows? Maybe you'll become the Princesses' official bounty hunters or something," Twilight chuckled as she headed back to her castle to write that letter.

Samus looked at Recsigh. "She's an odd one, that Twilight. Well, all these ponies are a little odd in their own ways. But, Twilight is a good friend. I guess it's not so weird she's the Princess of Friendship."

Recsigh blinked. "You're actually admitting there's something to this whole friendship business after all? Will wonders never cease!" she exclaimed in exaggerated astonishment.

Samus chuckled. "Maybe. I'm still not convinced about this whole 'magic' business, but I will admit, friendship might be a bit more powerful than I first thought."

Recsigh shrugged. "Well, it's a start."

Samus chucked her friend in the shoulder playfully before standing an heading back inside the ship. Recsigh watched her with a smile on her face.

 _"Sooner or later Samus, I will show you the true power and magic of friendship and these odd ponies will help me do it. I just know it,"_ Recsigh thought before standing and heading into the ship herself.

 **Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. I've got a lot going on, so I'll only be able to update this story infrequently for a while. Thank you for your patience.**


End file.
